The new set of guidelines for My Weekly are out, and there are a few changes so I will put them here in full. Note changes to submission procedures, inclusion of details re submitting features, details about the Pocket Novels.
MY WEEKLY GUIDELINES NO.7 JUNE 8 – AUG 31
FICTION ( for issue dates through September and November)
Hello and thank you for your interest in writing short stories for My Weekly. We have an exciting new addition to our guidelines this month.
Maggie Seed, our new My Weekly Pocket Novels Editor has provided some inspiring suggestions for what she is looking for in this genre. If you aren’t familiar with this collection this will give you an insight into what they are about and if you are familiar you’ll find Maggie’s new outlook refreshing and motivating.
Look out for these words of wisdom after your usual category listings.
Also of interest, some guidance from our Commissioning Features Editor
Can I please remind everyone that I can consider only one manuscript per month
For authors new to us, please take some time to study carefully the detailed descriptions and inspirational examples overleaf, which will help you tailor your short stories exactly to our current needs. We can only consider stories in the categories stated.
I’m afraid we are no longer able to return unsuccessful manuscripts or indeed enter into correspondence about their progress. If you have not heard about the fate of your story within 6 months of sending, that unfortunately means it hasn’t been successful. For this reason, please do not submit the only copy of your work.
Stamped addressed envelopes will no longer be necessary.
Unfortunately it is impossible to give individual critiques. The editor’s decision is final.
It is vital to include a summary of the piece. The category for which it is intended and the wordage should be clearly marked.
Please pay attention to the story lengths as they are important.
Happy writing!
Liz Smith
(Commissioning Fiction Editor)
PRESENTATION
As we now edit on screen, please take a moment to check your manuscript and ensure that:
· Double quotes (“…”) are used for dialogue throughout
· You have avoided excessive use of ellipses (…) and exclamation marks
· There are only SINGLE spaces between words and sentences (please eliminate all unnecessary spaces).
· To enable you to see exactly where spaces and new paragraphs occur on a Word Document, go to the tool bar at the top of your screen and find the button with the “backwards” P. It will say Show/Hide when you move your cursor over it. Clicking on this will bring up these “invisibles”.
· If you are emailing your story, make sure it is as a Word attachment and not in the body of the email
· You are enclosing only a SINGLE MANUSCRIPT, not several at once and that your story is in a standard plain type of 12pt.
· All manuscripts must be type written, with accurate wordage supplied.
How Do I Submit?
You can send us your work by email to : myweekly@dcthomson.co.uk
or by post to: The Commissioning Fiction Editor, My Weekly, D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd., 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.
If one of your stories has been accepted already, please mark the email for the attention of Liz Smith. Most important!
For your manuscript to be considered, it’s imperative you mark prominently on your envelope or email into which category your story falls. If you don’t do this, I’m afraid your work can’t be considered.
What Are The Required Categories?
You’ll find our present requirements overleaf, not only the types but the lengths.
Will The Categories Remain The Same?
No, they will change as our stocks fill up in some areas and deplete in others. Therefore, if you have an idea that doesn’t suit our present requirements, don’t despair - it may do so in the future. However, please be guided by the wordage mentioned.
How Will I Know When The Categories Have Changed?
There is an expiry date at the top of the first page of these guidelines. You can then request our latest guidelines by post (please enclose an S.A.E.) or by email
Well, here are the details you’re anxiously awaiting, so get your thinking caps on and good luck!
DO’S √ DON’TS X
√ Display clear intent
X Use black humour
√ Be uplifting, have message of hope
X Describe graphic violence
√ Offer different points of view
X Construct stand-up humour
√ Have strong central characters
X Rely on continuous one-liners
√ Be evocative and atmospheric
X Include overt sexuality or smuttiness
√ Use light and shade
√ Use natural, modern dialogue
X Rely on formulaic predictability
√ Portray relationships realistically
X Construct contrived storylines
√ Introduce humour where appropriate
X Overlook punctuation/spelling and grammar
√Try to move the reader
√Uphold family values
X Use unrealistic dialogue for a specific age group
√ Check all facts are accurate
√ Set stories in other countries
X Portray one-dimensional characters
X Use clichéd situations and dialogue
X Neglect continuity
THESE ARE THE TYPES OF STORIES WE NEED:
Twist In The Tale (between 1400 and 1600 words)
- “clues” must not be misleading
- positive, pleasant outcome
- characters well rounded, need not all be likeable
- revenge must not be vindictive
- a nice surprise instead of a “con”
- ensure crime themes have emotional engagement
Coffee Break (700 Words Only)
NB No twist endings please
- include a frisson of excitement, hint of passion
- character studies
- unusual, offbeat subject
- humorous
- conversation – can be all dialogue
- a moment in time
- pulse racing, without being sexually explicit
Romance (either 1200 words or 2,000)
- believable characters
- unusual theme situations
- try not to be too predictable
- doesn’t have to have a standard happy ending
- must still be hopeful
- inspiring
- light and shade work well
- try to ring the changes with themes
- convincing emotions
- engaging dialogue
FEATURES
My Weekly features are written on a commission-only basis. If you have an idea you’d like to pitch to us, please email the following:
Health – Sally Rodger srodger@dcthomson.co.uk
Celebrity, General Features – Susan Anderson sanderson@dcthomson.co.uk
Looking Good – Eileen Towns etowns@dcthomson.co.uk
Real Life – Audrey Patterson apatterson@dcthomson.co.uk
Cookery – Jennifer McEwan jmcewan@dcthomson.co.uk
Travel – Gladys Sturrock gsturrock@dcthomson.co.uk
Gardening – Sian Watson siwatson@dcthomson.co.uk
MY WEEKLY POCKET NOVELS GUIDELINES
Love! Romance! Passion! Adventure!
Avid fans of romantic novels can get their fix from My Weekly Pocket Novels!
Two published every fortnight.
We look for stories with a strong, developing romance between two identifiable characters. Within the time it takes to read one of the novels, we would like the reader to share and experience the breathless/breath-taking excitement of a growing relationship.
Do: Create characters our readers can identify with, rejoice with or grieve with. They can have flaws.
Do: Thrill and intrigue the reader. You have two hours (roughly) to take the reader through a gamut of emotions and resolve the dilemma, mystery, pitfalls and obstacles.
Do: Include a heart-stopping moment! Key moments to consider: She realises she likes him; she thinks he is lost to her forever; that second-chance moment when she realises happiness can be hers…THE KISS!
Some questions you might like to answer: How can she resist him? How did he misjudge her? What kind of a woman is she?
Do: Set our pulses racing (ooh la la!) BUT remember we want passion, not pornography!
Do: Use dialogue so the reader can participate in the story’s development rather than being told in large chunks in straight narrative.
Sometimes: There can be a secondary plot to help develop the romance. For instance, there are often complications and misunderstandings between the hero and the heroine, or there is something vital at stake, such as a child, an inheritance, a relationship etc.
Crime and intrigue can feature, as long as they don’t distract from the developing romance.
Who: Our heroines vary in age from their early twenties to middle-age and are compassionate and morally sound. They are more modern in their relationships, thoughts, feelings and experiences when the novel has a contemporary setting.
Where and When: Stories can be set anywhere in the world and can be contemporary or historical.
How: The story is usually told from the woman’s point of view, although occasionally it is from the man’s.
Presentation
Please send in a synopsis and the first three chapters in manuscript form or via email.
If we wish to proceed, we will ask you to send in the full novel electronically.
Word count: around 30,000 words, no more than 32,000.
Double spacing, double quotes, single space only between full stop and next sentence.
If accepted for publication the completed novel must be presented electronically in a format compatible with ours (i.e., Word or rich text format)
Please send to:
My Weekly Pocket Novels
D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.,
80 Kingsway East
Dundee DD4 8SL
Email: myweekly@dcthomson.co.uk
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
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14 comments:
Thank you for those.
Very interesting new guidelines from MW, I'm considering being rather brave and having a stab at a pocket novel!
Cate
Thanks for posting these!
It's great to see guidelines for the pocket novels. I wrote a few of those years ago - really enjoyed doing them too!
I'm not sure if I'd be willing to commit to such a huge project without some idea of how much I could expect to be paid. There doesn't seem to be any mention of money here.
Without wishing to be negative in any way, I'd just like to give a word of warning about pockets for MW. I was asked to send a full manuscript which then languised for almost a year with them before they returned it as "unsuitable". I understand from others this is quite usual. It is, as you say, Geri, a huge commitment and I've no idea how much I would have been paid had I been successful. I really enjoyed writing it, but I just think you should be aware, Cate, that if you go ahead, you'll probably have to wait for a long time for a response. Great to see new guidelines for stories out. Thanks for posting them, Womag.
Lydia, did you actually write it without asking first how much you'd get? Why would you do that?
I know it sounds pretty stupid, Geri, but then I've never been told by any magazine (apart from TAB who publish their rates) what I'm going to get paid for a story, although that's obviously a much smaller commitment. I'm currently writing first instalment and synopsis of a serial I hope to sell to WW but I've no idea what they would pay me if they liked it. I'm still pretty new to this getting published lark and I suppose I just assumed that was the way it worked - we do the writing and they make an offer. I know it's far from ideal. Am I being ridiculously green here?
While we're on the subject of money - I forgot to ask: has anyone actually been paid for a story by MW recently?
I have sent materisl to MW but it keeps getting sent back with a copy of guidelined. My word count is okay as is storyline etc. I double space lines. Is that the correct thing to do?
Sorry about typos. I don't submit that way- lol.
Well, yes, AJ, as it says in the guidelines, double-spacing is what they require.
But there's more to getting a story accepted than providing the right word-count and correct presentation, I'm afraid. In the end it can just boil down to whether the editor likes your story or not.
There's only one thing to do, and that's keep trying. Write lots, read lots - especially of your target market, and sub lots.
Thank you for a great blog!
I've tried to use MW's email address to sub but it never seems to work. All I get is a delivery failure message.
Also, do they mean that they never get in touch if your story is rejected? Isn't 6 months quite a long time to wait to be certain you have been unsuccessful?
Fascinating. It's a wonder they don't just get a computer to generate it.
Nancy - I believe if you have not yet been published by MW then no, they don't always send a rejection and you should count your story free to send elsewhere after 6 months. I've not had trouble with their email address - check you have the right one?
Ossian - I'm not sure what you mean. Generate what by computer? The guidelines or the stories themselves?
I don't know if anyone is subscribing to this, but in answer to how much MW pay for pocket novels, it's £200 for First Cheap Paper serial rights. As far as I know, that's all it is. There's no royalties on copies sold.
I've got one with them now (I did it just for fun and the challenge). They asked me to send the full manuscript just 24 hours after I'd sent the first three chapters, so am a bit dismayed to see that I might have to wait a year for a response to the full ms.
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